She was suddenly embarrassed by how she sounded—eager as a kid, which was kind of how she felt in her classes. Very different from her usual guarded self. She hardly knew Mike and yet she was telling him all this. “Anyway, the point is I want a private practice.”
“I bet you’ll do great.” He said it so simply, so sincerely that warmth flooded her.
He has no idea who you are, she reminded herself. She was about to blurt the doubts bubbling under her words when Suze saved her by bringing the food.
Which turned out to be great. The chiles rellenos melted in her mouth, the nopalitos-and-goat-cheese salad was tangy and fresh.
“So, what all is Lydia responsible for?” she asked, hoping to find out enough to reassure herself for tomorrow.
“Too much.” Mike sighed. “Budgets, purchasing, fees and licenses, billings. You’ll see tomorrow. I don’t know half of the stuff she does.” He shook his head and took a bite, oblivious to the fact that his words had stopped her heart.
What if she wasn’t up to it? What if she was all just big talk? What if she let Mike and the town down?
“Hey, Mayor. How’s it hanging?”
Mike looked up from a bite of salad to greet the man who’d stopped at their table. “Hey, Ned,” he said. “How’s the welcome sign coming along?”
“We’ll have it done for the festival. No worries.”
“Good.” Mike introduced her to Ned Langton, who’d bought Mike’s family’s landscaping business a few years back.
“So, I tried to join your Chamber last night,” Ned drawled, an amused grin on his face, “but couldn’t get your brother to give me the time of day.”
“Oh, yeah?” Mike stopped chewing.
“Couldn’t take his hands off his girl long enough to round up the form for me.”
“I see.” Mike set down his fork, his mouth grim, despite his easy words. “Stop by tomorrow and Evelyn can fix you up.”
“What I want to know is where he found her.” Ned leaned lower and winked, “And are there any more where she came from?”
“With a wife like Jill, why would you think twice, Ned?” There was an edge to Mike’s words.
“I’m not thinking about me. She got a friend for you? That’s what I mean.”
Mike shot an apologetic glance at Autumn. “I don’t know, Ned, but how about you write me a check for Chamber dues and we’ll mail you the temporary card. Save you time. How’s that?”
Ned didn’t like that suggestion, it seemed. He patted his shirt pocket and frowned sheepishly. “Left my checkbook at the house. I’ll stop by another day. Enjoy your dinner.”
“You called his bluff,” Autumn said when Ned had gone.
“Yeah.” He gave a rueful smile. “It’s pulling teeth to get these guys to join up. The Chamber funds economic projects and we really need everyone to ante up, but they don’t all see it.”
“That’s not what’s bothering you though, is it?”
“No. It’s my brother.” He shook his head. “Seems like the affair’s all over town. Since he met your friend, his brains have drained out his ears.”
“How so?” She hoped he wasn’t about to insult Jasmine.
“The minute Mark heard Jasmine was doing the pageant, he auditioned for it. What was he thinking? He’s got a business to run, he’s head of the Chamber and chair of my economic development committee. He doesn’t have time to be in a play, for God’s sake.” He shook his head.
“Maybe it’s true love.”
He shot her a look. “Your friend is a beautiful woman.”
“You mean she’s a stripper.” Anger flared, fast and hot as a suddenly lit match.
He quirked a brow. “I don’t care what she does for a living. The problem is how fast this is going.”
She just looked at him.
“Come on. You were rolling your eyes right along with me. They’re acting like a couple of teenagers. The man came back from a weekend in Phoenix and declared his dreams had come true. Lord.”
“Yeah,” she said, softening. “I know what you mean. Jasmine falls in love with love and gets hurt every time.”
“The thing is…” He hesitated. “Mark was like this once before.” He frowned and picked at his Tecate label. “He met this woman at a real estate seminar and right off he’s loaning her money and they’re talking about buying a house. Then he finds out she’s got a husband in Nevada and a check fraud conviction. Took him years to get over her.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Yep. And he’s wild like that about your friend.”
“Look, Jasmine is a good person. She—”
“I’m sure she is. It’s just too fast and crazy. It’s—”
“Reckless. I know. They barely know each other. They’re telling themselves fairy tales.”
“Exactly,” he said. “So we’re both worried about them.”
“Yeah,” she said, relieved that Mike’s concerns matched her own. “I mean if it’s right, why not slow down?”
“There you go. Just what I told him.”
They shared a smile of commiseration.
“Hey, Mayor Mike!” A stylish blonde stopped at their booth, her arm around the waist of a tall guy in a cowboy hat.
“Celia. Hi,” Mike said. “Dan.” He nodded at the man.
“So, that sister of yours pregnant yet?” Celia asked him.
“You’ll know before me,” he said. “We both know that.”
Autumn recognized Celia’s name. She owned the beauty salon where Heidi had worked before moving to Phoenix.
“I want you to meet Autumn Beshkin,” Mike said. “She’s filling in for Lydia.”
“Autumn…I know that name….”
“Heidi’s a friend of mine. She does my hair.” She spoke fast, praying Heidi hadn’t mentioned what Autumn did for a living. She pushed a strand of hair into her braid.
“We miss Heidi so much,” Celia said. “Her counseling almost more than her hair work. She left us her self-help books when she went to Phoenix, but it’s not the same.”
Heidi was studying to become a therapist,
